Squad in Pr. George's seizes 100th gun
The Prince George's County Police Department's District III Special Assignment Team is giving thanks for an unusual accomplishment this year: taking 100 guns off the streets before Turkey Day.
The squad of seven picked up its 100th firearm Saturday night, after they chased down a man who ran from a vehicle during a routine traffic stop on Landover Road with a Taurus 9.. in his hand.
Sgt. Adam Popielarcheck, who commands the special assignment team, said seizing so many guns in a year is a "very big deal."
As best he could recall, the most taken by the squad in a single year was 102 back in 2006, when the figure was bolstered by a search warrant that yielded 14 guns.
"We still got a month to go," Popielarcheck said.
The special assignment team is essentially a support unit for the District III detective bureau, serving the bureau's search warrants and patrolling areas that detectives deem hot spots for crime. Seizing guns, Popielarcheck said, is only a secondary function.
By
Matt Zapotosky
| November 24, 2010; 1:59 PM ET
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Matt Zapotosky, Pr. George's
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Now all PGPD needs to do is take a couple of gun from some of their officers so the county will be a lot safer.
Posted by: PublicEnemy1 | November 24, 2010 3:37 PM | Report abuse
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